# Aurel Aldea

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{{Infobox military person
| name           = Aurel Aldea
| image          = Aurel Aldea.png
| image_size     = 
| caption        = 
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1887|03|18|df=yes}}
| birth_place    = [Slatina](/source/Slatina%2C_Romania), [Olt County](/source/Olt_County), [Kingdom of Romania](/source/Kingdom_of_Romania)
| death_date     = {{death date and age|1949|10|17|1887|03|18|df=yes}}
| death_place    = [Aiud Prison](/source/Aiud_Prison), [Aiud](/source/Aiud), [Alba County](/source/Alba_County), [Romania](/source/Romania)
| burial_place   = 
| birth_name     = 
| nickname       = 
| allegiance     = {{Flag|Kingdom of Romania}}
| branch         = [Army](/source/Romanian_Land_Forces)
| service_years  = 1908–1945
| rank           = [2nd Lieutenant](/source/2nd_Lieutenant) (1908)<br />[1st Lieutenant](/source/1st_Lieutenant) (1911)<br />[Captain](/source/Captain) (1916)<br />[Major](/source/Major_(rank)) (1917)<br />[Lieutenant Colonel](/source/Lieutenant_Colonel) (1923)<br />[Colonel](/source/Colonel) (1928)<br />[Brigadier General](/source/Brigadier_General) (1936)<br />[Major General](/source/Major_General) (1940)<br />[Lieutenant General](/source/Lieutenant_General) (1944)
| service_number = 
| unit           = 
| commands       = [4th Infantry Division](/source/4th_Infantry_Division_(Romania))
| battles        = [Second Balkan War](/source/Second_Balkan_War)<br>[World War I](/source/World_War_I)<br>[World War II](/source/World_War_II)
| other_work     = Anti-communist resistance leader (1945–46)
| alma_mater     = [Higher War School](/source/Carol_I_National_Defence_University)
{{Infobox officeholder
| embed          = yes
| office         = [Minister of Internal Affairs](/source/Ministry_of_Internal_Affairs_(Romania))
| term_start     = 23 August 1944
| term_end       = 3 November 1944
| prime_minister = [Constantin Sănătescu](/source/Constantin_S%C4%83n%C4%83tescu)
| predecessor    = {{ill|Dimitrie I. Popescu|ro}}
| successor      = [Nicolae Penescu](/source/Nicolae_Penescu)
}}
}}
'''Aurel Aldea''' (18 March 1887 – 17 October 1949) was a [Romania](/source/Romania)n general, [Interior Minister](/source/Ministry_of_Internal_Affairs_(Romania)), and [anti-communist resistance](/source/Romanian_anti-communist_resistance_movement) leader.

==Education==

Aurel Aldea was born in [Slatina](/source/Slatina%2C_Romania), [Olt County](/source/Olt_County) on 28 March 1887. He graduated from the Artillery and Engineering Military School of [Iași](/source/Ia%C8%99i), after which he was sent to [Germany](/source/Germany) to the Preparatory School of Military Officers of [Hanover](/source/Hanover) (1907–1912) and to the Military Technical Academy of [Charlottenburg](/source/Charlottenburg), where he had his internship at the 23rd Artillery Regiment in [Koblenz](/source/Koblenz).<ref name=Alesandru>Duțu Alesandru and Dobre Florica: ''Drama generalilor români'', p. 22</ref> 

==Army career==
In 1912, Aldea was recalled to Romania to participate in the [Second Balkan War](/source/Second_Balkan_War), and in 1913 he graduated from the [Higher War School](/source/Carol_I_National_Defence_University). He served in [World War I](/source/World_War_I) as a battery commander, and participated in the battles from [Dobrogea](/source/Dobruja) and [Bucharest](/source/Bucharest).

In the [interwar period](/source/interwar_period) Aldea worked within the General Staff of the [Romanian Armed Forces](/source/Romanian_Armed_Forces) in the Transport Division and Historic Service, Head of Staff of the 11th Infantry Division and [1st Army Corps](/source/First_Army_(Romania)), then commander of the 23rd Artillery Regiment. Between 1935 and 1938  he was the commander of the Artillery Brigade, after which he was appointed Secretary General of the Ministry of Army Endowment and Commander of the 11th Infantry Division (autumn 1938) and [4th Infantry Division](/source/4th_Infantry_Division_(Romania)) (April 1939).<ref name=Alesandru/>

==World War II==
In June 1940, during the [Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina](/source/Soviet_occupation_of_Bessarabia_and_northern_Bukovina), Aldea led the Romanian delegation that discussed with [Red Army](/source/Red_Army) commanders the evacuation plans from those territories.<ref name="olt">{{cite web|url=http://gazetaoltului.ro/2019/10/24/generalul-aurel-aldea-un-erou-al-miscarii-nationale-de-rezistenta/|title=Generalul Aurel Aldea — un erou al Mişcării Naționale de Rezistență|first=Constantin|last= Smedescu| date=October 24, 2019|newspaper=Gazeta Oltului|access-date=April 15, 2020|language=ro}}</ref><ref name="final">{{cite web|url=https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/20080226-romania-commission-bessarabia.pdf|title=Final Report of the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania|date=November 11, 2004|access-date=April 15, 2020}}</ref> The next year, he entered into conflict with [Marshal](/source/Mare%C8%99al_(Romania)) [Ion Antonescu](/source/Ion_Antonescu), and was forced into retirement on July 21, 1941.<ref name="olt" /><ref name="gen">{{cite web|url=http://www.generals.dk/general/Aldea/Aurel/Romania.html|title=Aldea, Aurel|website=generals.dk|access-date=March 29, 2020}}</ref>

In August 1944, the Soviet Army launched the [Jassy–Kishinev Offensive](/source/Second_Jassy%E2%80%93Kishinev_Offensive) and entered Romania. Aldea was instrumental in the [coup d'état](/source/1944_Romanian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat) led by [King](/source/King_of_Romania) [Michael I](/source/Michael_I_of_Romania), which resulted in the arrest of Antonescu and Romania switching allegiance from the [Axis powers](/source/Axis_powers) to the [Allies](/source/Allies_of_World_War_II).<ref name="olt" /><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.digi24.ro/special/campanii-digi24/1989-anul-care-a-schimbat-lumea/actorii-zilei-din-23-august-1944-eroii-care-nu-au-incaput-in-manualele-de-istorie-ale-comunistilor-282772|title=Actorii zilei din 23 august 1944, eroii care nu au încăput în manualele de istorie ale comuniștilor|date=August 19, 2014|newspaper=[Digi24](/source/Digi24)|access-date=April 15, 2020|language=ro}}</ref> He then served as Interior Minister in the [first Sănătescu cabinet](/source/first_S%C4%83n%C4%83tescu_cabinet) from August 23 to November 3, 1944.<ref name="gen" />

==Final years==
Under the command of Aldea, elements of the Romanian army officer corps sought to form in 1945–46 a National Resistance Movement, in order to oversee the disparate anti-communist resistance groups and to organize an armed insurrection.<ref name="Miroiu">{{cite book | last=Miroiu | first=Andrei | title=Romanian Counterinsurgency and its Global Context, 1944–1962 | publisher=[Springer International Publishing](/source/Springer_Publishing) | publication-place=Cham | year=2016 | isbn=978-3-319-32378-7 | doi=10.1007/978-3-319-32379-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://amnr.defense.ro/app/webroot/fileslib/upload/files/Revista_Document/Revista_069_2015.pdf|title=Considerații privind dimensiunea militară a rezistenței anticomuniste din România| first=Mihaela|last=David| journal=Buletinul Arhivelor Militare Române| volume=18|issue=3 |year=2015|pages=78–83|language=ro|access-date=3 October 2020}}</ref> He was arrested on May 27, 1946, and tried by the [High Court of Cassation and Justice](/source/High_Court_of_Cassation_and_Justice) November 11–18, 1946, for his resistance efforts. The presiding judge was General [Vasile Atanasiu](/source/Vasile_Atanasiu); other judges included generals [Mihail Lascăr](/source/Mihail_Lasc%C4%83r), [Ilie Crețulescu](/source/Ilie_Cre%C8%9Bulescu), and Constantin Argeșanu.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rador.ro/2014/11/19/11-18-noiembrie-1946-procesul-sumanelor-negre-ii/|title=11–18 noiembrie 1946 Procesul Sumanelor Negre (II)|date=19 November 2014|publisher=[RADOR](/source/Agen%C8%9Bia_de_pres%C4%83_RADOR)|first=Silvia|last=Iliescu|language=ro|access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref> He was found guilty of plotting against the State, and sentenced to life in prison.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.memorialsighet.ro/gen-aurel-aldea/|title=Gen. Aurel Aldea| website=memorialsighet.ro|language=Romanian|access-date=April 15, 2020}}</ref> He died in [Aiud Prison](/source/Aiud_Prison) on October 17, 1949.<ref name="gen" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historica-cluj.ro/anuare/AnuarHistorica2010/09.pdf|title=Morții Penitenciarului Aiud 1945-1965|page=19|first1=Virgiliu|last1=Țârău|first2=Ioan|last2=Ciupea|language=Romanian|access-date=March 29, 2020|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924030352/http://www.historica-cluj.ro/anuare/AnuarHistorica2010/09.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A street in his native city, [Slatina](/source/Slatina%2C_Romania), now bears his name, as do streets in [Craiova](/source/Craiova) and [Drăgănești-Olt](/source/Dr%C4%83g%C4%83ne%C8%99ti-Olt).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cite web|url=https://www.cotidianul.ro/interesant-o-alta-istorie-ascunsa-de-marii-istorici-ai-institutului-de-istorie-nationala/|title=Interesant, o altă istorie ascunsă de marii istorici ai Institutului de Istorie Națională|newspaper=[Cotidianul](/source/Cotidianul)|date=June 3, 2012|access-date=April 15, 2020}}

{{RomanianInteriorMinisters}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldea, Aurel}}
Category:1887 births
Category:1949 deaths
Category:People from Slatina, Romania
Category:Carol I National Defence University alumni
Category:Romanian Land Forces generals
Category:Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War
Category:Romanian military personnel of World War I
Category:Romanian people of World War II
Category:Ministers of interior of Romania
Category:Romanian dissidents
Category:Members of the Romanian anti-communist resistance movement
Category:Inmates of Aiud Prison
Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Romania
Category:Romanian people who died in prison custody
Category:Prisoners who died in Securitate custody

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Aurel Aldea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurel_Aldea) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurel_Aldea?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.